Centre for Development and Environment Annual Report 2023

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Looking ahead

New projects in South America

In collaboration with the Wyss Academy for Nature, we have intensified and diversified our programme activities in South America in two new projects, both focused on Peru. Separately, a recent blog post from one of our PhD students describes her thought-provoking research in Ecuador’s Amazon region: There she came across the “Western lifestyle” – in a place where people are looking for alternatives to rainforest destruction.

At a glance

February

Gold mining in Peru and trade to Europe and Switzerland

The project “Gold mining in Peru and trade to Switzerland and Europe: Identifying entry points for transformation” aims to achieve concrete improvements in the socially and ecologically risky practice of gold mining in Madre de Dios. CDE researchers are supporting the project with their expertise in sustainable trade and commodity governance. In particular, they are investigating the potential role of Swiss gold importers.

February

Indigenous knowledge for conservation governance innovations

The overall aim of this interdisciplinary project is to examine the potential of Indigenous-led governance schemes to contribute to more just conservation in forest frontier contexts.

Blog post

Amazonia: The bittersweet taste of chocolate

The Amazon Forest currently covers half of Ecuador’s surface. But it is disappearing at a rate of five soccer fields per hour. There are alternatives, however, such as local initiatives in sustainable coffee and cocoa production – inspired by Western tastes. The question is: How do these alternatives impact local people’s lives?

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